Tour De France 2015: Stage 18 Route, Distance, Live Stream and TV Schedule

Stage 18 of the 2015 Tour de France will be the second of the Alpine stages in this year’s competition, tasking a weary peloton with conquering seven categorised climbs during the 186.5-kilometre run from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

Team Sky and Chris Froome still have a buffer of over three minutes in the general classification after Stage 17, with some of the Briton’s major rivals losing crucial time. Nairo Quintana is still clinging on, but the young Colombian will be acutely aware he’s running out of time to eat into Froome’s substantial advantage.

Here’s a look at what to expect in what’s likely to be another absorbing afternoon of riding in the Alps and all the key viewing details needed on where to catch the action.

Date: Thursday, July 23

Time: 11:10 a.m. (BST), 12:10 p.m. (Local)

Live Stream: ITV Player (UK)

TV Schedule: ITV4 (UK)

Froome Still in Control as Paris Edges Closer

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

Another sterling job from Team Sky in the peloton allowed Froome to preserve his comfortable lead in the race for the maillot jaune. But on this undulating stage, the main group could easily be decimated and strung out on one of seven categorised inclines.

Here’s a look at what awaits the cyclists on Thursday, per Geoff Thomas:

Indeed, Col du Glandon is where the action is likely to play out for the guys in the general classification. The ascent is brutal, with the riders having to tackle the 22-kilometre hors categorie rise. But even afterward, the summit is 40 kilometres from the finish, which includes a very technical 19-kilometre descent.

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Of the main group, the stage seems tailor-made for a rider confident with their ability to tackle the aforementioned decline and, as we can see here courtesy of the event’s official Twitter feed, reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali seemed very assured in that facet of his riding on Stage 17:

But with punishing stages to come on Friday and Saturday, expect those in the peloton to hold back a little on Thursday, paving the way for a breakaway rider to take a grip of this stage and snatch what’ll be a coveted win.

LIONEL BONAVENTURE/Getty Images

Indeed, David Walsh of the Sunday Times commented that the main group looked a little fatigued on their first day of Alpine racing:

After his win on a similarly arduous run on Stage 12, Joaquim Rodriguez looks the man to beat, especially given how he backed off on Wednesday; perhaps the Spaniard had this segment in mind?

Peter Dejong/Associated Press

The Katusha star was superb in scaling another late hors categorie climb earlier on in the tour, and expect him to keep tabs on any breakaway then make a move to the summit. Rodriguez left some top-class competitors trailing on the climb to Plateau de Beille and, if he can get over the initial rises unscathed, he has the durability to do so again in the final stages.

Romain Bardet is another who will relish the steep sides and perilous descents; he finished third to Rodriguez on Stage 12. As we can see, he’s been in pretty high spirits too:

Alejandro Valverde is a rider who usually relishes this kind of terrain, but the Spaniard was dropped by Froome and Quintana in the final embers of Stage 17. The Colombian may still feel as though he has a chance of catching Froome, but the inclined finishes on Thursday and Friday represent a better setting to show his climbing pedigree.

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As such, don’t expect the peloton to chase too hard should someone like Rodriguez make a move on the punishing ascent. Nor should we be expecting any major shifting in the general classification. But with time to make up, inclines to conquer and days running out, it'd be foolish to rule anything out on what should be a bewitching Alpine stage.